Blog #4

Theme Statement: People often try to get others to do what they want them to do, but rarely can they force them to do such things.

Literary Device: Metaphor

"'You know what, dude,' he said, 'I'm good'. Tony was exhausted. Tired from the beating he just gave Wes. Tired from repeating himself. 'If you won't listen, that's on you. You have potential to do so much more, go so much further. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink, right?'" (Moore 71-72)

Analysis: This quotation is very powerful because it sends a beautiful message. It proves the theme statement because it shows how Tony was trying so hard to make Wes do what he wanted him to do, but gave up because Wes refused to listen. As the plot unfolds, Tony finally reveals a change of character. We see how he surrenders his fight of trying to be a good older brother to Wes. This advances the plot because a new dilemma has occurred, allowing the reader to foreshadow what will happen next. This citation is a metaphor because it's representing how Tony relates his situation to the metaphor "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink it".